Flour-sifter.



H. L. MENDAL.

FLOUR SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 5. 1914.

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HENRY L. MENDAL, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA.

FLOUR-SIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 16, 1917.

Application filed October 5, 1914. Serial No. 865,103.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'HENRY'L. MENDAL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tampa, in the county of Hillsboro and State of Florida, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Flour- Sifters; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to household sifters especially designed forsifting flour, salt and the like.

The invention has for its object to provide a device of this characterof generally improved and simplified construction embodying acylindrical body in which the sifting device is operablymounted andhaving both ends open and adapted to be' closed by removable covers.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and formation of parts as will behereinafter specifically described, claimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 represents a central sectional view through the flour sifter.Fig. 2 represents a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 20 indicatesthe cylindrical body of the sifter in which are arranged two spacedapertured partitions 21. An agitator or rubber designated generally bythe numeral 22 is rotatably mounted upon each face of each partition 21and the agitators are rotatably secured by a shaft 23 mounted centrallyin the partitions 21.

The vertical shaft 23 has reduced terminal journal portions which piercethe perforated partitions or sieves and extend through the hubs of theupper and lower pairs of agitators and the intermediate body portion ofthe shaft which forms shoulders extends from one pair of agitators tothe other and abuts against the inner members of the two pairs ofagitators and serves to space the two structures so that they will bemutually supported and contribute equally to the strength of the devicewhen the sifter is in either of its positions. This provides aconstruction of increased strength and efliciency. By this constructionthe lower agitator of each pair will in each position of the device beprevented from dropping away from the lower faces of the partitions orsieves in each position of the sifter. Also the ends of the terminaljournal portions of the shaft are headed to coact with the shoulders insupporting the structure in proper position.

The body 20 is formed with a circumferentially elongated openingreceiving a long arm 25 carried by one of the agitators, and a knob 26is secured to the free extremity of said long arm. A spring plate 27 isrigidly secured adjacent the outer extremity of the long arm 25 and isin permanent frictional engagement with the inner face of the body 20for closing the opening 24 regardless of the position of the agitator.The open ends of the body 20 are closed by removable covers 28 havingannular flanges 29 frictionally engaged with the ends of said body.

In use, the material to be sifted is placed in one end of the body ofthe sifter and the agitators operated by the knob 26, the materialgradually sifting down through the successive apertured partitions. Whenthe material has been sifted from one end of the body to the oppositeend, said body is inverted and the operation is repeated until thematerial is reduced to the desired condition. By arranging the agitatorsupon both sides of each apertured partition, it is evident that maximumagitating efliciency thereof is obtained whether the body is placed ineither one of its two operating positions.

What is claimed is:

A reversible flour sifter comprising a hollow cylindrical body open atboth ends and provided with removable covers for the same, said bodybeing also provided with apertured partitions spaced from the center ofthe body and from the ends thereof and forming sieves, agitatorsarranged in pairs, the members of each pair being located at the upperand lower faces of the sieves and consisting of central hubs and radialarms, a radial arm of one of the agitators being extended through thehollow body and provided with an exteriorly arranged handle and a shortvertical shaft consisting of a central body portion and terminaljournals, the journals being extended through the partitions and throughthe hubs of the agitators and connected form a mutually supportingstructure in 10 with the latter and provided at their outer eachposition of the agitator.

ends with heads engaging the agitators at In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature the outer faces of the sieves, said body porin presence oftwo Witnesses.

tion being of a length to extend across the space between the agitatorsat the inner HENRY MENDAL' fa'c'es ofjthe sieves and forming end shoul-Witnesses:

ders for engaging the inner agitators, the N. D. SMITH,

shoulders and the heads cooperating to N. L. TURNER.

qpgies o t this patent n ay pe obtail e d for five cents each, byaddressing the Gommissionerof Patents, 7" i washingtomD c.

